Delivering a first-class client service

December 11, 2018

Your clients’ expectation of service and client care are incredibly high and continually rising.

We often see that improvements made within law firms are not necessarily always what clients’ want. Your interpretation of a first-class service may not be the same as theirs. Client confusion and dissatisfaction swiftly follows.

Many lawyers believe that providing a first-class service is costly. The reality is, that a consistently high level of service is more cost effective to provide than having some of your fee earners falling short of your clients’ expectations.

In this short article we debunk myths around providing a cost effective and profitable first-class service.

Myth 1 – Client price expectations

“Our clients won’t pay for fancy meeting rooms!”

And neither should they. Unless that is part of your service offering.

The stratagem is to match your prices with your clients perceived price expectations and their service expectations.

It is not possible to have good, cheap and fast service.

Recent research has revealed that people do not buy a professional service based purely on price. Expertise and the expected service are a high consideration. The majority of people are willing to pay slightly more if they know they will receive excellent, first-class service and have their legal problems solved for them.

Myth 2 – Online portals always give clients the information they want

Many lawyers have been led to believe that online client portals will provide clients with information when they need it. The idea is that the portals give clients a better, 24/7 service and reduce the amount of incoming telephone calls thereby reducing man hours.

While there are client portals that are effective, for many firms the opposite is true. Client telephone calls increase because clients don’t find the content helpful, the terminology is confusing and the portal is not easy to navigate. Portals can have a detrimental effect on client satisfaction and also increase fee earner work.

Clients value effective and timely communication. They value technical information presented to them in a way they understand. They value speed and efficiency. And, of course they value accurate cost information.

Myth 3 – Clients don’t know if the service is good

Whilst clients may not know if the legal advice is good, they certainly know if the service they receive is good. Clients often mistakenly interchange advice and service.

Even when there is a mix up in terminology between advice and service, there is one constant. People don’t about talk about mediocrity. However, they do talk about polar opposites – a dreadful or fantastic experience.

What experience do your clients have whilst you are acting on their behalf?

And more importantly, what experience do your clients talk about?

Final thoughts

When clients receive the service they are expecting, firms prosper. The service becomes remarkable for the right reasons and clients are more willing to talk about the exceptional service they receive – they become advocates of your firm.

The step from being mediocre in relation to client service and becoming exceptional is powered by making the decision to invest in an even more successful law firm.

Trust in online review and price comparison sites is falling dramatically. People are once again seeking recommendations from people they know. The difference now is people layer information from a variety of different sources and will seek out independent verification to support the recommendations.

How Investor in Customers can help

At Investor in Customers, we have worked with many professional services firms, helping them to improve their client service experience. You can read some of our client testimonials here.

If you would like help in delivering an outstanding, first-class client experience, contact us today to arrange a meeting.